Chapter 3

Xander’s pov

I had to turn fully, the moon’s pull thrumming through my veins like fire as I sprinted through the city in order to meet up and hijacked a car when I was close to them.

If anyone was going to kill my livestock… it would be me.

“No, we didn’t call no car. Go the fuck away. This is our turf,” one snarled, stepping closer, his knife catching the dim streetlight.

I put off the car’s engine and snagged the car door open, stepping out and letting them feel my full presence before I even took a single step toward them.

Stupid rogues.

I could smell their fear, thick and cloying, the scent of adrenaline and wet asphalt. The one with the knife raised it, his hand trembling slightly.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” I said, my voice low, vibrating with authority, pushing the Alpha aura towards them.

“Fuck. Let’s go, Dan,” the other muttered, shoving him back. They turned and fled, the echo of their hurried footsteps swallowed by the night.

I glanced back at the human. He was still there. Cornered and Wide-eyed. His scent hit me: panic, sweat, something so raw it almost made my teeth ache. Humans were fragile, ridiculously fragile. How the fuck were they still alive out here in a city full of predators?

I stepped back into the car, closing the door behind me, and started the engine. “You coming?” I asked, my voice flat. “I work by the hour. Or… you don’t need a cab?”

“Ohhh… yeah. Yeah.” He scrambled inside, fumbling as he buckled the seatbelt, his cheeks burning pink under the harsh interior light.

I drove on, watching him in the rearview mirror, observing every shiver, every movement. He kept looking away, his face a mix of confusion, fear, and something else.

I stopped in front of his apartment building, “We’re here.”

He leaned forward, squinting at the building. “How did y—you… I didn’t give you the address.”

Shit. I cursed under my breath. Acting as a cab driver without asking for directions, nice one, Xander. “You did. How else would I know? You must still be in shock.

“Ohhh… how much do I owe you?”

“You just got mugged. It’s on the house.”

He muttered his thanks and I watched him step out. The street was quiet and empty. Perfect time to end it if I wanted. Nobody would bat an eye tomorrow if they came across a dead man with a broken neck.

I followed, silently and Predatory. He didn’t notice until I was almost on top of him. When he finally sensed me, he spun around—and I grabbed his throat as my eyes flared gold. The strength in my hands… capable of crushing bone.

And yet.

His face didn’t twist in fear. He didn’t tremble or beg…….instead his eyes met mine and he said one word.

“You.”

It was as if my touch did something to him. A calm settled across his features, almost as if he had been waiting for this. His small human hands rose, leaning into my grip, closing his eyes. The scent of him—hit me full force. Goddess, his scent was intoxicating. It was human, yes, but tinged with something deeper, something primal, Something too intoxicating to ignore.

I wasn’t sure what was happening but my hold on his neck softened a bit and he leaned in closer, opening his eyes.

“Are your eyes real?” I blurted.

I have always wondered about his eyes when I first saw him. I have seen all kinds of humans eye colors—blue, green, hazel, amber—I’d seen them countless times. But his… no. His were something else…..light Purple or Indigo swirling like smoke caught in sunlight. Something impossible, unearthly, almost wrong in the most exquisite way. Something that looks awfully familiar but I couldn’t place it.

“Yes,” he whispered.

Something was happening to me, happening to my body. I have never been this close to him before, I have never touched him before. Has his face always been this exquisite? His black curls were unruly, some falling across his forehead in a manner that makes it stylish. Freckles ran across his pointed nose. My gaze shifted to his luscious lips and I leaned forward, drawn by instinct and hunger. Drawn by something I couldn't name.

Then the curb light flicked on, snapping me out of it. “Noah? Is that you?” A female voice asks as she approaches. “Your mum called me frantic. Said you missed dinner and—” The words stopped as she took in the scene.

Shit. Shit. Shit.

I let go of him, disappearing into the dark street.

I hadn’t just revealed myself to my mate, someone else had seen me.

Back at the safe house, I shut the door, stripped down to my underwear, and entered my secret room.

I sank into the chair, my heart still racing.

What the fuck had just happened. I had hesitated on a kill. Even till now I can still feel his skin prickling on my finger like it was embedded there.

Shit.

No skin contact from now on. Guess I have to use a gun then……The human’s weapon.

I leaned back, my eyes glued to the screen as I watched him walk around his apartment, unaware of the eyes tracking him. He kicked his clothes off, his movements mundane yet my heart slammed in ways I hadn’t anticipated.

I had been so certain. So confident that the pull of the mate bond… I had heard of it, especially from my sister, who was mated to my beta, wouldn’t affect me. Especially since he was a man.

I love women.

I fuck them almost everyday and I haven’t had any reason to complain.

This has to be som—-fuck.

I leaned forward, my eyes wide and focused on the scene in front of me. The human was in the bathroom, one hand on the glass, another… doing something I hadn’t anticipated.

My mate was…..… masturbating, his eyes closed, his hands moving in slow strokes, hips arching slightly, breath catching in quiet, desperate moans.

He was gorgeous. Every curve, every sigh, every shiver, etched into me. His eyes opened, directly looking into the camera and for a brief moment, it felt like he was looking through the screen at me, at my soul.

Blood moved directly down my body and my hand began moving down my shorts, brushing against the hard length already straining against the fabric.

I cursed under my breath. I’m a wolf……A predator…….A killer.

And yet… I couldn’t look away.